1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a two-part molding system. The present invention more specifically relates to a two-part molding system for providing a compression mount with the floor at the base of a wall, and methods for making and installing such a two-part molding system.
2. Description of Prior Art
Baseboards and wall bases are known in the art as molding or trim applied at the base of a wall to complete the junction between the wall and the floor. These wall bases serve to decorate, as well as to protect, the wall from scuffing and impact from feet, machines such as vacuum cleaners, wheelchairs, dollies, wheeled furniture, etc. Furthermore, the wall bases protect the edge of the carpet or flooring adjacent to the wall. Moldings are also used to hide various imperfections and inconsistencies in a wall finish, such as where walls are not finished all the way to the floor, low spots, wall openings and the like.
Wall base moldings are commonly used where a wall meets a floor to provide a neat and acceptable appearance at the wall-floor juncture. Moldings are made from a variety of materials, using a variety of methods as would be understood by those skilled in the art. For example, moldings are commonly made from a polymeric material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that is extruded via conventional extrusion or injection molding processes known in the art. Extruded PVC is typically a cost-effective building material that can be provided in a variety of colors and decorative styles.
Referring to FIGS. 1-4, prior art wall base moldings are shown. As demonstrated in FIGS. 1-4, prior art wall base moldings are commonly used in a variety of settings, including environments which are considered “sanitary-sensitive” environments such as in hospitals and nursing homes. One particular ongoing issue that exists in hospitals and nursing homes, for example, is secondary infection to patients and personnel. As shown in FIGS. 1-4, damaged wall base moldings 1 can include a toe base 2 that does not sufficiently fit or conform evenly to the underlying floor. Over time, damage at the toe base 2 of conventional prior art wall base moldings 1 can worsen due to normal wear-and-tear, or can be exacerbated from floor buffers, hospital carts, wheel chairs, normal shrinkage and hospital machines and equipment. In turn, undesirable elements such as dirty water from washing/cleaning the floor, dirt, moisture, and even bodily fluids can accumulate under the damaged toe base 2.
One prior art method for addressing the issue of cleanliness is the use of a molding base that is integral with the floor. However, this type of system can be disadvantageous in certain settings of use due to the relative high cost of installation and manufacture. Moreover, a molding base that is integral with the floor is expensive to replace since the entire integral molding base and floor would typically have to be replaced.
Another issue that exists in hospitals and nursing homes, for example, is the relative poor aesthetic appearance of traditional wall bases and cove bases. It is well known that it is desirable for health care facilities including hospitals and nursing homes to advantageously employ aesthetically-appealing environments to improve the morale and psychological state of the patients. However, aesthetically-appealing building materials are typically inherently more expensive. Due to the inevitable high risk of damage to the wall base and cove base in hospitals and nursing homes, in turn requiring more frequent repair and/or replacement, such facilities typically use lower end materials which have a relatively poor appearance. As discussed in greater detail below, the present invention addresses this issue by allowing the use of a more durable and more aesthetically-pleasing wall base in combination with a removable and relatively less expensive molding piece.
One known type of removable molding includes a mechanical hook and loop fastening system, such as VELCRO® brand strips for mounting a molding to an adjacent wall. In this type of arrangement, one of the portions or strips of the fastening system is affixed to the wall and the other is affixed to the molding. The molding is then mounted to the wall by joining the fastening strips to one another. Such fastening systems tend to be disadvantageous since the connection between the respective hook and loop mounting strips tends to weaken over time, thereby decreasing an effective mounting between the molding and the adjacent wall.
Another known type of removable two-part base molding system including a mounting portion and a molding portion which can be affixed to one another by overlapping corresponding edges, such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,087 (Sauter). Such systems can be disadvantageous since the connection between the mounting portion and a molding portion in such systems tends to not be firm against the underlying floor such that even very small gaps can remain between the molding and the underlying floor.
There is therefore a need for a molding system that can be removable that also facilitates ease of installation, repair, maintenance and replacement. Such a system should further promote a sanitary environment. Moreover, such a system should be easy and cost effective to manufacture, to ship, install, maintain and replace. The present invention fills the need for such a molding system.